Anne Kananu has been sworn in as Nairobi’s third governor, taking over from Mike Sonko who was impeached in December 2020.
Kananu who has been in and out of court over her swearing in becomes the fourth woman to become a county chief since the inception of devolution in 2013.
The ceremony, presided over by Judge Lillian Mutende, took place at the KICC Comesa grounds.
Read: Anne Kananu to Be Sworn in as Nairobi Governor on Tuesday
“The responsibility bestowed upon me as governor of Nairobi is no mean feat. However, I confidently state that with your support I am up to the task and I will serve you to the best of my ability,” she said.
Last week, the Supreme Court struck out a petition by Sonko challenging her swearing in.
“We lack jurisdiction to entertain the application. Objections by the clerk, Nairobi county assembly and county assembly sustained. Motion dated October 23 is incompetent and hereby struck out,” the court said.
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Noting that she is not the first woman at the helm of leadership in Nairobi, Kananu stated that she stands high on the shoulders of women who came before her.
“Nairobi is no stranger to women leadership. In 1971 the City elected as mayor, H.E the Late Margaret Kenyatta, the first African woman mayor of Kenya’s capital city and the second African woman mayor in the country,” she said.
“Her tenure in office was marked by many developmental programs and prioritised the issues of women, children, and education, which she viewed as the hope for Kenya’s future.”
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She pledged to continue cushioning city residents from the adverse effects of Covid-19 pandemic.
“As your governor and as a mother, I feel your pain and it for this reason that during my tenure in office I have focused on cushioning Nairobi residents and businesses from the impact of the pandemic,” she stated.
Kananu also promised to sink more boreholes, install 10 water tanks in each ward across the county and additionally launch a post-COVID recovery plan focused on improving security, local policing, lighting and sanitation within the next 30 days.
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